Oklahoma Girl
by Lindsey3
Summary: When they reached the car, Dean opened the back door, but Ellie stood still until he looked at her. "Dean," she started, but he shook his head. "Don't. Just don't, Ellie. Nothing you say is going to change the way I feel about what happened." Set after Season 11 with Mary returned, but no British Men of Letters. DEAN/OC
1. Chapter 1

Supernatural

Oklahoma Girl

AN: I do not own anything Supernatural, Eli Young Band's song, or Clint Eastwood and his movies! Let me know if you like! Set after Season 11. Mary is back, but no British Men of Letters.

"Fell in love with an Oklahoma girl  
She stole my heart took over my world  
She lit my cigarette and never had to ask  
One look and I was gone like that" Eli Young Band "Oklahoma Girl"

/

"So, what do we know Sammy," Dean asked as he looked around the busy coffee shop finding it hard to hear the details of the case they were working over the noise. From the sign at the front door, the heavy traffic was due to an author signing in the attached bookstore. Sam had geeked out when he read that it was one of his favorite authors, E.K. Murray who wrote a spy series.

Dean wouldn't admit it, but he had 'borrowed' them from Sam and they weren't half bad even though they had a female lead character that sometimes fell in to clichés. She seemed to manage situations quite well and Dean would never admit to admiring her a bit so he kept the reading to himself.

They were in a northern suburb of Tulsa, Oklahoma a town called Owasso hunting a werewolf. Sam looked up from the notes he had taken at the morgue earlier and ran through the info. "Three women with their hearts ripped out. All between the ages of 25 to 30. Brown hair. Medium build. One was a waitress. Another a student and the third and most recent, a cashier here in the book store. They all crossed paths here at the coffee shop. Given the appearance of the wounds, the werewolf is young and inexperienced. Shouldn't be too hard to track him tonight."

Dean nodded, "Good. A nice, quick job and then with any luck, a vacation. I gotta say, I'm beat." Sam watched his brother for a minute before shaking his head, "One second your non-stop hunting and the next you want a break." Dean smirked, "What? Can't a guy want to lay in bed with a sexy woman, watch a Clint Eastwood marathon, and pig out on cheeseburgers?"

Sam curled his nose, "That's your idea of a vacation?" Dean grinned as he continued to scope out the people passing by looking for their potential werewolf. All the tables were full, but the coffee shop was fairly small and he could see almost everyone, except for the person right behind him. He could hear them typing away on a keyboard though, and found himself a little impressed at the speed. Not even Sam could type that fast.

A waitress hurried towards them, winding her way through the customers. She looked to be in her early twenties, blond hair in a ponytail that bounced with each step she took. Dean noticed other things bouncing as well and decided to turn on the charm. No reason not to start recruiting early for his vacation. "Hi! My name is Amanda. Sorry about the wait, it's crazy in here tonight what with the book signing and all. Can I get you guys anything?" Her bright smile bounced from Dean to Sam then back to Dean where it stayed and brightened if that was possible.

Sam shook his head at the typical scenario. Dean returned the smile, "Not a problem sweetheart. Two coffees and do you have any pie?" Amanda bit her lip, looking for all the world like she wanted to be the pie, "I think we have a slice of blueberry left." Dean's smile went lopsided as he laid it on thick, "Make sure it's not too sweet darlin', I think I've already got a sugar high from your smile." Amanda took the line like a champ, winking as she walked away with an exaggerated swing in her step.Dean watched her until she disappeared behind the counter, then looked back at Sam. Sam raised his eyebrow, "Dude." Dean wiggled his eyebrows and smirked at his little brother until he heard the person behind him ask with a laugh, "How many times has that actually worked?"

Dean turned around in his seat only to come face to face with a set of laughing green eyes only inches from his own. His gaze quickly scanned the rest of the face that was so close noticing thick black lashes that framed the eyes and a straight, pert nose that led to a full set of dark pink lips that were currently smirking.

/

Eleanor, or Ellie to her friends, had been sitting in the coffee shop for hours. She was stuck on her current novel trying to decide if the heroine would save the love interest or if she would be too late. She kind of thought the heroine should fall in love with the pain in the ass partner, but trying to bring that about would be a task.

The partner was a booze drinking, woman chasing man's man who could turn on the charm like a switch, but over the series she had shown his heart to the readers as well so maybe it could work. This book was the last in the series and even though she preferred happy endings she didn't know if it should come in a traditional form or a surprising one. Her last paragraph she had typed five times and was beginning to erase it again, when the two men walked into the shop. Like every woman currently there, she had stared at the striking looks of them and had a hard time tearing her gaze away.

Shaking herself, she decided she needed to get out more. Staying in her home, typing away all day was clearly altering her perceptions and stunting her writing she thought wryly. When the men sat down right behind her, she tensed all over, feminine instincts twitching at the thought of them being so close. Over the years, she had become quite good a turning down advances, mostly because no one had interested her and because she knew she wasn't a one night stand girl. She didn't think there was anything wrong with it, but she knew her heart would become too entangled to be able to let go so she avoided the problem all together, but the guys behind her made her want to test that theory. Laughing at herself for her silly turn of thought she returned her attention back to her laptop.

She focused on her story once more and soon lost track of time until she saw Amanda making her way through the crowd. After hearing the exchange, and the ridiculous pick up line offered by the guy directly behind her she knew she had to ask for permission to use it. It was absolutely something her character's partner would say. She wasn't quite prepared for him to come nose to nose with her and she inhaled quick even though she was able to maintain her smirk. The smell of him was like an instant aphrodisiac and Ellie had to work hard to keep her smirk from sliding into a glazed-over stupor. He smelled faintly like men's shower soap, after shave, and some woodsy sent that was hard to place but entirely appealing.

He was even more impressive up close and Ellie had to remember to exhale. His eyes drew her in, making her want to stay in the moment, but she forced her eyes to examine him while she had the chance. His hair was just long enough to run your fingers through and it looked soft, tempting her to try. His nose had a slight bend in it where it looked to have been broken and the lips underneath looked both hard and soft although currently they were stretched over even, white teeth in a smile.

Feeling that she ought to break the tension she leaned back a little and held out her hand, "Pardon me if that was rude. I don't get out much. Eleanor Walker." The man blinked a little as if startled before his smile deepened as he took her hand in his own, "Agent Hudson, but you can call me Saul." Ellie noticed his hand was rough, as if he did a lot of manual labor despite the suit he was wearing and the fact that he had just given her a law enforcement title. "Agent," she asked, noticing he still held her hand. The man from the other side of the table leaned around then and introduced himself while holding up a badge, "FBI. I'm Agent Rose. My partner and I are investigating the murders of the three local girls."

Ellie looked back and forth between them, trying to decide if she should let them know she knew their identities were fake, but she thought she'd let it play out for the moment. They didn't seem to be a threat and who was she to judge about fake ids. She'd had several them over the years researching for her novels.

The author in her still needed to know about the line and she sensed a plot off these two. She nodded to 'Agent Rose', "Pleasure to meet you. I do hope you can find out what happened." She turned her attention back to the man still holding her hand, "In the meantime, you still haven't answered my question. How often does that line work?" The man ran his thumb lightly over the back of her hand and said with a wink, "Every time it needs to."

Eleanor couldn't help it. She burst out laughing, throwing her head back at the unexpected swagger in his voice. "Touché," she replied still chuckling. "Would you mind if I use it," she asked. He laughed, "I don't know that it would sound the same coming from you." Ellie shook her head and explained, "I meant in my book. I'm a writer and that line could become a classic."

'Agent Hudson' seemed to like that, "I always did think I was a classic." Ellie heard the other man snort and try to cover up a laugh, so she leaned around to ask him, "Is he always this incorrigible, Agent Rose?" He grinned back at her, "Always." Ellie noticed the novel of the author that was signing, sitting on the table so she asked, "Are you here for the book signing as well as your case?" 'Agent Rose' brushed his fingers over the worn-out cover of the book and smiled, "I wouldn't mind meeting the author. I've been a fan of the series since it began seven years ago."

Always interested in what people liked or disliked about books, Ellie stood up to bring her chair around when she realized her hand was still clasped in 'Agent Hudson's' hand. Looking down at him she smiled, "You already cast your line at Amanda tonight and clearly caught her. You can try again another time." He took the teasing surprisingly well, giving her hand a slight squeeze, "Never hurts to try darlin'."

When she settled in her chair at the table with them, she shifted her focus to 'Agent Rose'. "So, the last book in the series, you didn't think the ending was too much," she asked hoping to get an honest answer. The man leaned forward and looked eager to discuss the book, "Not at all. It ended with just enough excitement to make you want to read the next installment and just enough closure to be able to wait." Ellie nodded her head, "I thought so too, but I wasn't sure of the relationship between the main character and her on/off lover. It felt a little… I don't know, stale, maybe? I keep thinking she should end up with her partner."

She looked back at 'Agent Hudson' and he shook his head, "Don't look at me. Never read 'em. Too chick-flicky for me." Ellie smiled, "I can see that. The main character isn't testosterone driven with great pick-up lines. She's no Bond." She ended the statement with a wink that had 'Agent Hudson' grinning.

Ellie couldn't believe she felt so easy flirting with him, but it just seemed to come naturally and she was enjoying it quite a lot. 'Agent Rose' drew her attention again answering, "I don't think it's stale. I think it's part of what keeps the plot going although the author may find it difficult to keep it fresh after five books. I could definitely see her ending up with her partner though I had never thought about it until now. Have you heard how long they intend to keep going?" Ellie shook her head about to answer, when her friend Margaret tapped her on the shoulder. Turning around to Margret, Ellie asked, "Time already?" Margaret nodded as Ellie stood up and pulled her chair back to the other table. She closed her laptop and placed it in the backpack she always carried. Slinging the bag over her shoulder, she stopped by the table with the agents one more time.

"It looks like the signing is starting so I had better go. Thank you for the line," she said to 'Agent Hudson', "And for the good conversation", to 'Agent Rose'. She leaned down close to the table and whispered, "You also have to tell me how often the Guns n' Roses theme passes as real." When they looked at her stunned, she walked off with a wink and a grin towards the growing line.

/

Dean thought he might possibly be in love. As Ellie walked away, her hips swaying gently from the heels she was wearing he tried to get his brain back on line. In a matter of twenty minutes, she had challenged him on his pick-up line, laughed at his quip about it working, challenged him on hitting on her, winked at him while admiring Bond, and then made it plain that their cover was completely blown with her because she liked classic rock. She had to like classic rock Dean thought because nobody knew the names of the band in passing. The summer dress she wore swung around her legs in a cloud of white flowers and as she stopped to talk to a man big enough to be security, she brushed her dark brown hair over her shoulder making Dean wonder if it was as soft as it looked.

Sam interrupted his thoughts, "Guess we are going to need new id's if people are picking up on the names." Dean shook his head picking up his coffee, and then wondered when it had shown up. His pie was there too, but he couldn't remember anyone bringing it. Sam watched his confusion and chuckled, "Amanda brought it ten minutes ago, while you were clinging to Eleanor's hand." Dean shook his head, grumbling in to his lukewarm coffee, "I wasn't clinging."

Sam smiled and then looked back at the line, "I don't see her anymore, I wonder where she went. She fits our victim demographic, so it might be good to follow her until we find our werewolf." Dean's eyes shot up to scan the room, but couldn't find her either and his heart sped up a bit when he heard Sam's sharp inhale. "What," Dean asked sharply. Sam pointed to the table stacked with books at the head of the line. Dean sent a silent thank you to whoever was listening, that he hadn't admitted to reading the books, because Eleanor Walker was the author, E.K. Murray.

/

Sam and Dean watched the customers come and go as the line for the book signing dwindled. They were beginning to lose hope of finding their werewolf when a man caught their eye. He made sure to stay between book shelves and kept looking at the rapidly sinking sun through the giant store windows. When he left the store at nine-thirty that night, they quickly followed him. Dean glanced back at Ellie as he pushed his way out the door and she raised her head just in time to meet his eyes. She smiled before returning her attention back to book she was signing.

Dean caught up with Sam and they tracked the werewolf in to a park as night fell, the summer heat cooling down to a humid warmth. They tracked him for over an hour, waiting for him to turn, when he was suddenly gone. "Damnit Sam, where did he go," Dean whispered loudly as he spun around in circles trying to find a clue. Sam ran his hand through his hair, forcefully exhaling, "I've got no idea. Maybe we should head back to the book store and start again. Maybe he circled back?" Dean nodded, swearing, as they set off at a lope.

Despite tracking the man for so long, they really hadn't gone far since he had paused often as if knowing they were tailing him. They had just reached the store parking lot which was now empty when they heard gunshots from the side of the building. Despite Sam regularly running for exercise, Dean beat him to the alleyway in time to see Eleanor empty her pistol magazine into the werewolf who was closing the distance between them at a run. Another quick thanks that he was angled horizontal to the werewolf so that he wouldn't risk shooting Eleanor and Dean squeezed the trigger, sending the silver bullet through its heart, dropping it at her feet.

/

Eleanor was a bit disappointed the guys had left, but then mentally shrugged her shoulders and focused on signing. This was the first she had ever done and since she used an alias, many of the readers were shocked to find out she was a woman. For that reason, the signing lasted longer than she had planned. By the time everyone had signed, talked, and taken pictures with her, Eleanor was exhausted. She had the best time meeting and talking with her fans, but with the sun down and quickly approaching eleven o'clock she knew it was past her bedtime.

She tried to help clean up, but the staff had told her that they would take care of it. After a quick word to her manager Margaret, she decided to head home. Shouldering her backpack, she stepped out into the thick, late July night and took a deep breath, glad to be going home. As she turned the corner into the alley she sensed someone following her and tried to control her furiously beating heart. She had been taught from an early age to be aware of her surroundings and as soon as she had been old enough to own a pistol she had bought one, taken the concealed carry class, and began practicing every weekend.

She knew how long it would take her to spin towards her attacker, pull up her dress far enough to access the pistol strapped to the inside of her thigh, aim and shoot. She was thankful now for her classes because despite knowing what to do, her hands still wanted to shake. She heard the footsteps pick up speed and knew it was now or never. In one fluid motion, she dropped her bag, had her pistol out and told him to stop or she'd shoot. When he kept coming she squeezed off the first round dead center of his chest.

When the attacker paused for a moment to look at the wound, Eleanor felt the first cold finger of fear slide down her spine. When the attacker looked back up at her with eyes that were closer to an animals' his jagged teeth bared and snarling at her, she felt the whole bucket of ice cold fear wash over her. The attacker hunched down as if to spring at her and Eleanor wasted no time emptying everything she had into him. She thought she was going to actually die when he lunged for her only to hear another gunshot and have the attacker drop dead at her feet.

She knew her eyes were peeled wide in fear as she stared down at the body in front of her and after what felt like years she looked up to see who had saved her. When the two agents walked out of the shadows she took a deep breath, relaxing her grip on her pistol. "Holy shit. I can't tell you how glad I am to see you," she said as she ran a shaking hand through her hair. 'Agent Hudson' reached her side, "Are you all right? He didn't bite you, did he?"

Eleanor thought that was an odd question until she looked back down at him and saw the claws on his hands disappear as well as the large teeth. She had the overwhelming urge to jump away from the body just in case it sprang to life, but she furiously tamped down on the feeling. Instead she asked, "Was that a werewolf?" She had meant to ask the question firmly, but it came out in almost a whisper. 'Agent Hudson' gently grabbed both of her arms and had her face him, "Yes it was. Did he bite you?" Eleanor shook her head as she stared up at him, "No, but not for lack of trying. Jesus… If you hadn't… I …" She started to look back down, but he pulled her to his chest hugging her and she let herself sink in to the reassuring warmth and comfort that she hadn't realized she needed. She heard them talking about getting rid of the body and she came sharply back to reality.

Pulling away from his embrace she was suddenly full of questions, "Who are you?" Without looking at each other, they answered as though they had done it a million times, "I'm Dean Winchester and this is my brother Sam." Sam continued after Dean saying, "We're hunters." Eleanor looked at them for a moment before asking, "So you kill werewolves?" Dean nodded, "Among other things." Eleanor was about to ask what the other things were when Sam interrupted, "Dean." Dean seemed to understand and he began to draw her away, back towards the parking lot. "Wait, my car," she started, but Dean shook his head. "You shouldn't drive right now. I'll take you home and Sam will bring your car later."

Eleanor nodded, knowing he was right about her not driving. Later she would wonder about her complete trust in two strangers she had just met, but for now she let him lead her to his car, his hand on the small of her back, offering warmth and reassurance. Her nerves were already beginning to settle and her curiosity was taking full charge when they reached his car. "This is your car," she asked incredulously.

Dean smiled, "Yeah, this is Baby."

/

Dean was impressed that she could forget the danger she had been in and appreciate the classic car he cared so much about. She was really something else and she shocked him even more when she smiled up at him saying, "Forgive me for drooling over your car, but Impala's are so rare, especially in this condition." He meant to answer her, but for a second he forgot how to breathe until she looked away from him and back to the car.

Dean cleared his throat, saying, "Drool away. So, you like classic cars?" She bent over to look in through the open window and replied, "I do, although I confess I don't know a single thing about the mechanics. I just love the way they look. Nothing compares." Dean smiled, "Well, get in and we can talk about them on the way." Dean opened the door for her and Ellie slid in to the passenger seat. When they pulled out of the parking lot, she gave him directions to her house then relaxed back in to the seat. She went to clasp her hands together in her lap and noticed that they were still shaking.

Dean reached over, enfolding her hands in his one, "It's just adrenaline. It'll pass." Ellie looked over at his profile in the light of the passing street lights, "Thank you. I don't think I ever said that after you saved me." Dean smiled, glancing over at her, "No problem. It's what we do."

That statement brought all her questions up again and so she asked, "What else exists?" When she saw his jaw tighten she pressed, "Please? You can't leave me hanging like this. You said you hunt other things. So, vampires, ghosts, demons?" For a moment, she didn't think he would answer, but then he nodded, "Everything you named and more. Djinn, shapeshifters, ghouls, wendigo's, basically every nightmare you've ever had." Ellie let that information sink in, then continued, "Are there other hunters?" Dean nodded again and Ellie asked, "Are there more monsters or hunters?"

The tightness returned to his jaw so Ellie spoke, "Ok so definitely more monsters. Why don't people know?" She could tell Dean thought about his answer as he said, "So that people can have a normal life." Ellie nodded in understanding as she also realized he meant that he and Sam didn't have a normal life.

They pulled in to the driveway of her house before she could finish her questions. Dean shut off the car and started to get out when she put a hand on his arm, "We might as well sit in here. My house key is on my car keychain." Dean relaxed back in to the car and for a moment they sat in silence as Dean texted Sam the address. Ellie began to feel exhaustion kicking in as the adrenaline left her body. To stay awake she asked, "So the car, how did you get it?" Dean smiled, "It was my dad's. He always had me help him fix her up for as long as I can remember." Ellie smiled back at him, "That sounds like a good memory."

"It is," he said simply. "What about you? Is your family around?" Ellie shook her head, "My parents and siblings live about four hours south in the place I grew up. I moved originally for teaching, but then my writing took off and I just stayed even though I could move anywhere." Dean nodded, "Sam was a little upset you didn't tell us who you were before you got him talking about your books." Ellie smiled, "I like knowing honest opinions and I could say the same about you guys and your fake badges. Do people never get suspicious?" Dean laughed, "No not usually. We've gotten some funny looks, but never been called out. You're a first." Ellie laughed with him, "I can't believe that. People have to like classic rock. I mean come on. It's classic for a reason." Dean gave her a look of amazement, "I know, right?"

They sat there smiling at each other for a moment, before headlights pulled in behind them letting them know Sam had arrived. The moment broken, Dean started to get out of the car when he noticed Ellie running her hand along the seat before opening her own door. She really did appreciate his car. Shaking his head, he climbed out nodding to Sam over the top of the car as Sam helped Ellie stand. They followed her up the steps to her door and continued inside when she held the door open wide for them.

From the doorway, you could see the entire living space and down the short hallway to the bedrooms. It wasn't a very large house despite the three bedrooms, but with the sale of her first novel and the contract for more, Ellie had been able to knock out the walls separating the living room, dining room and kitchen allowing for one giant space that made the house feel bigger. Ellie tuned to face the guys as she said, "I really can't thank you guys enough. Do you have some place to stay?"

Sam answered, "Yeah a motel not far from here." Ellie curled her nose, "You can't mean that run down one that's been there since the 40's." When they nodded, Ellie shook her head, "I can't let you stay in that flea-bag motel. Not after tonight. You can stay here. The least I can do is offer you clean beds, clean bathrooms and a good breakfast in the morning." They started to protest, but Ellie held up her hand, "Please? You have to at least let me attempt to repay you, although I think it would take a lifetime." She could tell Dean still didn't want to accept, but Sam spoke, "All right. If you're sure." Ellie smiled as Dean said he'd grab the bags from the car and she told Sam to follow her down the hall.

After showing him the two spare rooms and the bathroom, she excused herself to her own room. "I'm not sure if werewolf blood will come out of this," she said as she pulled the bloodstained skirt of her dress out to examine it. At the wry look she got from Sam, she nodded, "I didn't think so. I'll have to burn it. Oh well, if you guys need anything just knock. I'm going to shower and I assume fall in to an exhausted sleep. I can barely keep my eyes open." As she turned in her doorway, she saw Dean coming through the front door with two bags, she nodded goodnight to him as she shut her door.

In her bathroom, she stripped out of the ruined clothes, turned on the hot water full blast, stepping inside when the shower was its own personal steam room. Despite it feeling wonderful, Ellie made the shower quick. She threw on her usual gym shorts and shirt to sleep in and crawled in bed expecting to knock out. Instead, as soon as she closed her eyes she saw haunting yellow eyes, dripping fangs and horrible claws. Her eyes flew open as her heartbeat fluttered in her chest. She took deep calming breaths, willing herself to not be so foolish. She hadn't been eaten alive or had her heart torn out of her chest like those other poor girls. To worry about it now was pointless, but after an hour of tossing and turning Ellie gave up on the idea of sleep. No matter what she told herself, she couldn't stop picturing what would have happened if Dean and Sam hadn't come around the corner just in time.

Knowing she needed a distraction, she climbed out of bed and opened her door softly. The house was dark and both spare bedroom doors were closed. She hoped they could at least get some decent sleep as she tiptoed past the rooms and made her way to the couch. Turning the television on low, she flipped through the channels until she found the Clint Eastwood movie Hang 'em High. She had grown up on John Wayne and Clint Eastwood so she could follow the movie without hearing it.

Grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch, she wrapped up in it and curled in to the corner just as Clint's character Jed was being hung. Letting herself get absorbed in the movie, she didn't hear Dean come in to the room until he was right beside her. Jumping a little and leaning away from him, she threw a hand over her heart trying to keep the thing from leaping out of her throat, "Jesus Christ." Dean looked sheepish as he said, "Sorry, didn't mean to sneak up on you." Ellie laughed nervously, still trying to steady her nerves, "It's all right. I'm more jumpy tonight than usual."

Dean nodded and she felt him really looking at her as he said, "Couldn't sleep?" Ellie ran a hand through her hair, letting out a self-depreciating snort, "No. I thought I could lay down and go right to sleep, but that would be a no. Regardless of not being in any actual danger, my mind can't help conjuring up images of what would have happened if you hadn't been there." Dean sat down on the couch next to her, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and pulling her to lean against his chest. "It'll fade," he said into her hair.

Suddenly aware that Dean was in just a t-shirt, boxers and socks and that she was laying against his chest, Ellie looked up at him, grinned and said, "Is this how you get the girls that don't fall for your lines?" For a moment, he looked surprised then he chuckled, "You know it darlin'." Ellie laughed then, "Well, I'm not that kind of girl, darlin'." He laughed at her mimicking him and squeezed her shoulder, "Then how about just some company and a good movie." Ellie wrapped her arm over his stomach, "Now that, I can do."

/

When Sam woke up the next morning to go for his usual run, he found them stretched out on the couch, Dean's back pressed against the back of the couch with Ellie facing him, tucked under his chin, a blanket thrown over them both, and the credits of a Clint Eastwood movie rolling on the TV. Sam shook his head as he put his earbuds in, looked like Dean got his perfect vacation a little early.


	2. Payback

Supernatural

Oklahoma Girl

AN: Thank you so much to everyone who has been reading my story! I hope you continue to enjoy! Again, I don't own anything but my original character.

"You can't give up  
When you're lookin' for a diamond in the rough  
Because you never know when it shows up  
Make sure you're holdin' on  
'Cause it could be the one, the one you're waiting on

'Cause nobody wants to be the last one there.  
And everyone wants to feel like someone cares.  
Someone to love with my life in their hands.  
There's gotta be somebody for me." Nickleback "Gotta Be Somebody"

/

Dean heard Sam leave the house for his run right as the sun was beginning to rise. He cracked his eyes open, trying to remember where they were when he realized someone was pressed against him. In a rush, it all came back to him. Meeting Eleanor, stopping the werewolf, taking Eleanor home, and then ending up on the couch with her.

She had said last night she didn't do one night stands and Dean respected that, but it didn't stop his hand from flexing at the small of her back encouraging her closer. Her subconscious took the urging and she snuggled closer under his chin while bringing her hips flush against his. One of her legs pushed between his, as her arm wrapped around his waist until there wasn't any space left between them.

Dean sucked in a deep breath. His sleep clouded brain hadn't thought through the affects her touch would have. He kept his fingers relaxed on her back as he drew small circles underneath her shirt on her bare skin. It was as soft as he had imagined and just that light touch had his imagination picturing a lot more that he could do to that skin besides touching.

/

Eleanor woke when her front door opened, then closed quietly. For a moment, she thought it must be Margaret as she was the only other person who had a key, but then the warmth and scent of the man beneath her cheek jarred her memory. Eleanor would have blushed had she not been so relaxed and it helped that Dean was still asleep. She felt his hand flex on her back and she let him pull her closer. She figured she wouldn't let it go too far, but it was impossible to resist the temptation to feel him pressed against her as he slept. She'd never have the nerve if he were awake.

When she was as close to him as she could get, she pushed her leg in between his and wrapped her own arm around his waist. At this point, there wasn't a part of him she wasn't touching and she fought the urge to dig her fingers into his back. Her mouth was centimeters from his collarbone and she desperately wanted to run her tongue along it to see what he tasted like. He smelled even better this morning than he had last night at the café, and for now she indulged in the fantasy that she could do this every morning. That he was hers and her heart would be safe.

/

They must have stayed that way for a while because the next thing Dean knew, Sam was back from his run looking over at them still on the couch, but a lot closer than when he left. Sam couldn't resist making his older brother uncomfortable so he called out as he walked down the hall to the shower, "You know you're both awake, right?"

As the door closed to the bathroom, Dean felt Eleanor tense in his arms. He mentally cursed Sam for being such a bitch as Eleanor moved her head back from his neck to look up at him. To his surprise, that was the only part of her that moved away as she smiled shyly up at him. Shit, he thought, his breath catching in his chest, this one was dangerous. He and Sam needed to leave as soon as they made sure the werewolf they killed was the only one.

"Morning," she whispered, a blush brightening her cheeks. "Morning," he replied, trying to gauge what she was thinking. "Sorry for making you sleep on the couch," she said, her eyes dipping to his chest, "I promised you a bed." Dean couldn't resist the opportunity, "You could still keep that promise." Eleanor looked back up at his smile and blurted out exactly what she was thinking, "I've never been more tempted in my life."

Heat flushed her up neck and into her cheeks, making Dean want to know what other attractive areas on her blushed. However, he maintained his gentlemanly behavior by a thread as he said, "You've already said no and I'm cool with that, but I'm going to kiss you now if you don't get up." Eleanor could tell he was warning her that there was much more than kissing on his mind, but the opportunity to feel his lips on hers was too tempting.

She stayed right where she was, her breathing shallow as she waited for him to move. She didn't have to wait long. She heard him whisper a curse as his mouth came down on hers in a kiss that sent her pulse skittering through her veins. His lips moved over hers softly, but with purpose as if he were taking his time to memorize how they felt. His tongue touched her lips, running along the seam asking for entrance and she gave it, eagerly.

When their tongues touched, the kiss took on a different feeling altogether. Desire spread like wildfire as his tongue tasted every inch of her mouth and she couldn't hold back the moan that built up deep in her chest. He seemed to take that as a cue, because before she knew it, she was laying with her back on the couch, with him pressing into her from above, their mouths never separating.

She could feel him pressing in to the cradle of her hips and she shifted her legs so that he was fully against her. Heat pooled low in her belly as she felt the proof of his arousal hard and hot against her. Logically, she knew she should stop this now, but emotionally she wasn't ready, so she gave into her temptation from last night and ran her fingers through his hair, dragging her nails lightly along his scalp. This earned her a groan and a nip at her lower bottom lip from him and so she repeated the motion loving the feel of his soft hair.

Dean had known he was taking a risk, giving in to kissing her, but he never imagined she would taste this good. If she didn't stop what she was doing to his hair he knew he was going to lose his fast-slipping control. When he grabbed her hands with his own and placed them above her head he knew he'd made a critical error. Bringing their chests flush was the mistake that undid him. He could feel her nipples pinched into tight peaks rubbing against his chest and felt her shallow breaths as if they were his own.

His hands were moving down her sides towards her the bottom of her shirt when he both cursed and blessed his little brother, as Sam walked in to the kitchen and opened the refrigerator. Dean fisted his hands into the couch as their lips separated and they stayed nose-to-nose, breaths mingling as they fought the raw desire still pulsing between them.

Dean spoke first, "This isn't going to get any less awkward the longer we stay here, so I'm going to go take a shower." Eleanor nodded and Dean took satisfaction in the dazed look in her eyes. He got off the couch carefully, heading straight for the shower.

Eleanor lay still for a moment after she heard the bathroom door shut and tried to get her ragged breathing under control. She could hear Sam shuffling in the kitchen so she decided to fix them the breakfast she promised. Maybe focusing on that would slow her pounding heart.

Sam had his head in the fridge still when she walked up behind him, "Morning Sam." Sam came up smiling, "Morning. Sorry about earlier. There are times I can't help but pick at Dean." Eleanor chuckled a little in embarrassment, but also understanding, "I get it. I have a younger sister and two younger brothers." Eleanor moved to stand in front of the refrigerator as she asked, "So, what do you usually eat for breakfast? I have eggs, bacon, sausage, pancakes, toast, biscuits…" She trailed off as she bent to get the eggs out and then turned to look at Sam.

"Whatever is easiest," he said reaching for the eggs. Ellie pulled them out of reach smiling, "Uh uh, I'm making breakfast. I'm no gourmet chef, but I can do that meal well, so sit down and place your order." Sam held his hands up and backed around the small island to the stools on the other side. Sitting down, he watched her pull out everything she had mentioned. She turned to him after she had prepped most of the selection and asked, "Ok so what can I get you?"

Sam felt a little uncomfortable letting her do all this, but decided not to pass up a home cooked meal, "Omelet, tomato, onion, spinach, mushrooms, and a side of bacon." Ellie grinned, "Excellent choice, Mr. Winchester. One omelet coming up. How many eggs?" Sam answered, "Four," just as Dean came in from his shower. Sam watched as Ellie swallowed hard, but braved her way through the awkwardness, "Sam's having an omelet. What can I get you?"

Ellie tried to remember that there was still oxygen in the world for her to breathe, but she couldn't seem to find any. How anyone could look so good in a beat-up pair of jeans, a t-shirt and an old flannel she would never know, but on him they looked as good as a tailor-made Armani suit. She watched as he looked her over from head to toe and knew she must look like a hot mess with her messy bun on top of her head, loose fitting workout shirt and gym shorts.

After a moment, but what felt like an age, his gaze slid past her to the counter behind her and he said, "Bacon." Letting out a chuckle that was mostly relief, Ellie turned back to the counter, "Bacon it is. How about pancakes to go with it, and an egg?" She heard him pull out a stool next to Sam as he said, "Sounds perfect." Sam had started coffee when he had first come in to the kitchen and the beeper now let them all know it was done.

Sam walked over to the coffee pot as Ellie set the first pieces of bacon in the pan. As she began pouring pancake mix into a bowl while the bacon cooked, he found the coffee mugs in the cabinet above the coffee pot and pulled out three. "Ellie, you want a cup," he offered as he began pouring. She looked up from the batter she was stirring, "God, yes. If you don't mind just hand me the pot," she teased.

Sam smiled, "I think I need it just as bad. How do you take it?" Ellie smirked, "The way God intended. Black and preferably, and I quote my tiny five foot two inch, ninety pound Mema, thick enough to float a horseshoe nail." She looked over her shoulder at Dean when she heard him laugh and tried not to read too much in to his comment, "That's my girl."

Thankfully the bacon needed to be flipped and she focused her attention on cooking once more. She took the offered mug from Sam and after drinking it plus a second cup, had their breakfast ready. She made an entire pound of bacon, five pancakes for Dean and one for herself, three eggs for Dean and one for her, and Sam's omelet. She didn't usually make such an extravagant breakfast just for herself, but since she had company, namely two heroes who had recently saved her, she felt celebratory. She even let Dean finish off the last of the coffee, so she knew she was still in shock.

As they ate, Ellie asked, "So, how long do you usually stay in town after you finish a job?" Sam answered, "Sometimes a day or two if we need to make sure we got everyone, but we usually leave right after." Ellie nodded, a little sad to be reminded that this was temporary. After having grown up with a house full of people, them moving out on her own, she sometimes forgot how nice it was to have people around. Sam continued, "For this one, we'll probably hang around a day or two to make sure there aren't any more."

Ellie looked up at that, "Could there be?" She hated the concern that crept in to her voice, but really, who could blame her. Werewolves were real for shit's sake. Sam nodded, "Werewolves usually have a pack, but we have run in to some loners so it's not unbelievable either way." They insisted on helping her clean up and soon the kitchen was back in its spotless condition.

Looking at the clock on the oven, Ellie noticed it was ten o'clock and that her gym would be empty from the early risers. "Well, since you guys are going to hang around for a while I'm gonna hit the gym. You won't rob me blind while I'm gone will you," she teased as she filled a water bottle at the sink. She heard them both laugh, but it was Dean that answered, "Why? You got something worth taking underneath all this shiplap?" Ellie turned slowly from the sink grinning like an idiot, but she couldn't help but tease him, "You know what shiplap is?"

Sam was looking at him crazy as well and Dean shifted back and forth on his feet uncomfortable, "I don't live under a rock." Sam shook his head as Ellie said, "Of course not. I just didn't expect you to watch home renovation shows. You're full of surprises Dean Winchester." Sam broke in, saying, "I'll keep an eye on the news reports for signs of activity we missed. Do you have Wi-Fi?" Ellie nodded taking her eyes from Dean slowly, "Yeah it's just my name for the network and the password is my birthday 02141985. I'll be back in about an hour. I'll give you the spare key in case you need to leave." Ellie walked to her key box by the door to the garage and tossed the key to Sam.

"I'm just gonna go change," she said as she walked down the hall to her room. As soon as he heard her door shut, Sam backhanded Dean in the shoulder saying, "Dude, shiplap?" Dean scowled, rubbing his shoulder, "Shut up." Sam chuckled as he went to get his laptop from his room.

/

Ellie came out of her room ten minutes later after washing her face, brushing her teeth, brushing her hair into a neater bun and finding some tighter fitting gym clothes. She tried to convince herself it was because it was easier to lift in non-baggy clothing and not that she wanted Dean to see her in a more attractive outfit.

She felt better now that she was clean and dressed in her neon orange running shorts, which of course were short to let her legs extend the full range and not because they showed off her ass, a matching neon orange sports bra and a slim, black tank top. She tied on her running shoes and pushed down the twinge of guilt she felt at being so shallow.

Grabbing her earbuds and water bottle off her nightstand, she walked quickly out of the room before she could change her mind about the outfit. She saw Sam first, as he was sitting at the kitchen island. Walking up, she asked, "Were you able to log on?" Sam turned to her nodding, "Yeah thanks and I hope you aren't really worried about us…" Ellie cut him off with a laugh, "Not at all. I wouldn't have invited you to stay in the first place if I thought you were anything but good guys." Sam smiled as she walked to the door, "I would hope so."

Ellie waved to him as she stepped out on to her front porch. She hadn't seen Dean inside and she was trying to decide if she was disappointed or relieved as she put her earbuds in, when she noticed him as he shut the trunk if his car. It was as if her desire had an instant switch when it came to him and as their eyes locked, she lost all her nerve. Bringing up her hand as a brief wave goodbye, she literally took off running.

/

Ellie lifted longer and harder than she ever had, her spotter finally calling it quits and yet she still felt a burning energy she couldn't shake. When she got back to her house, Sam and Dean were both in the living room, Dean flipping through channels and Sam in the arm chair with his laptop. "Looks like you are being productive," she teased as she shut the front door. Sam smiled, "So far good news. No new reports of any attacks and since last night was the last of the full moon, I think we're done."

She tried not to feel disappointment at the news and instead returned his smile, "That is good news. I'm glad it's over." She could feel Dean's eyes tracking her as she put down her water bottle in the kitchen and turned to walk back to the living room. "So, you guys leaving tonight or do I get your company for another day?" Sam answered again, "I actually just got an email from another hunter asking for help with a case so we're probably gonna head out in just a bit."

Ellie couldn't help the disappointed look this time, "Well, damn, I kinda like having you guys around, but I guess if duty calls…" Sam shut his laptop and stood up, "Always. I'm gonna go pack." Soon he was in his room, leaving Dean and Ellie alone. Dean set the controls on the coffee table and stood, "I should pack too…" Ellie nodded from where she leaned against the bookcase. She wanted to say something, but knew that it was all pointless so instead she said, "Well I'm going to hit the showers. I'll be out before you guys leave." She left the room before he could answer.

Twenty minutes later they all stood on her front porch in the afternoon sun. Ellie handed Sam a card with her address on it, "Now don't forget you promised to send me some books on the supernatural. I'll hold you to that promise. My next book will blow the rest out of the water with your help." Sam took the card from her, "I promise. I'll send the best ones." He walked off to put his bag in the car knowing Dean wanted a minute alone.

Ellie focused on the man in front of her and felt her heart skip a beat. "Listen about this morning…" Ellie stopped him, "Don't. It was perfect and I'd like to have that memory of you. Although I'm sure Amanda would have as well," she teased. Dean laughed, but turned serious, "If you ever need anything, you have mine and Sam's number. Don't hesitate." When she went to brush off the comment he wouldn't let her, "I'm serious. If you hear so much as a scratch that's out of the normal, call."

Ellie saw the very real concern in his eyes and assured him, "I swear, Dean. You'll be my first call. If you guys are ever in the area again, stop by. You'll always have place to stay." Dean started to reach for her hand when Sam hollered from the car, "Dean, that was Jody. We gotta go." Ellie smiled, "Duty calls." "Yeah it does. Take care, Ellie," Dean said as he walked toward the car. She watched as he shoved his bag in the back seat then climbed in the drivers' side. She waved at them as they backed out of the driveway and pulled out on the road. Suddenly her life alone seemed so very, very alone.

/

It had been two weeks since she had seen Sam and Dean, but thanks to Sam she knew everything they were doing. He was a great email pal and even texted her a few times, not to mention a few books had already arrived last week. She had absorbed the information like a sponge and had already asked for more. This evening, she was attempting to write her next chapter so she could take a break and head to her parent's ranch. The past two weeks alone had really begun to get to her and she knew she needed to see her family.

She had just walked in to the kitchen to rinse out her glass of whiskey when she heard a noise on her back porch. Fear threatened to grip her as her mind flashed back to the alley, but she took a deep breath and rationalized it was probably just a raccoon. She kept her shades drawn since she was in town so she couldn't see out unless she raised them. Dean's voice came back to her "If you hear so much as a scratch that's out of the normal, call." And she knew she had to call.

She walked calmly over to her phone by the couch, picked it up and dialed his number as she took her pistol out of her waistband holster. She got his voicemail, "Hey it's Dean leave a message." She was surprised at how level her voice sounded, "Hey Dean, It's Eleanor. Look, I know you said to call if there was ever a noise out of place, but now that I'm on the phone it just seems silly. I'm sure it was just a raccoon…"

As she said raccoon, both her front and back doors splintered apart and she was faced with her nightmare from the alley times three. They froze, staring at her and her pistol aimed at them from across the room. She knew they didn't know if she had silver, but knew they would soon find out so she began rattling off every detail she could in to the phone as she fired her pistol as quickly as she could, hoping it might save her. "Dean, three werewolves, I don't recognize any of them. Ones really tall, the others are average, they are wearing business clothes so they have to work in an office in the city…"

She didn't get to say anything else as the lead one hit her hard enough to send her flying across the room. She smashed into a bookcase and she thought she felt her ribs crack as she crumpled to the floor, but she wasn't going to let that slow her down. She leapt to her feet and made a run for the now gaping hole that was her front door. She heard lamps breaking and more bookshelves come crashing down as they scrambled after her. She didn't even make it to the front door before she was tackled with such force her head bounced off the ground, splitting her eyebrow open and sending her into darkness.

/

"Man, we haven't had a ghost case that complicated in a long time," Sam said as he and Dean threw the remaining salt, lighter fluid, and matches in to the trunk of the car. Dean smirked, "Aww, Sammy it wasn't that hard. Knew who it was all along." Sam rolled his eyes. The case had taken them a week before they had finally figured it out and they hadn't had a minute to spare. Sam reached into his bag in the trunk and pulled out his phone.

He expected to see a few messages from Ellie since they had kept in contact regularly, but he was surprised to see that there were none. "Hey, you have any messages," he asked Dean. He tried not to mention her as he could tell this one meant something to Dean. Dean reached in to his bag as well saying, "Why? Did you give your girlfriend my number? She get tired of your boring messages?" Sam rolled his eyes, hoping he was reading too much into the radio silence.

Dean checked his phone and said, "Nope. Nothing." Sam breathed a sigh of relief knowing she would have only called Dean in an emergency. "Wait, yeah actually. Bad signal here I guess. It's from a few days ago." Sam held his breath as he waited for Dean to play the message on speaker. They recognized the voice instantly, "Hey Dean, It's Eleanor. Look I know you said to call if there was ever a noise out of place, but now that I'm on the phone it just seems silly. I'm sure it was just a raccoon…"

A sound like wood splintering apart broke off what she was saying and Sam looked up from the phone to Dean whose eyes were now glued to the screen as if he could see what was happening. They heard her whisper, "Jesus Christ" before the sound of gunshots intermingled with the rest of her message, "Dean, three werewolves, I don't recognize any of them. Ones really tall, the others are average, they are wearing business clothes so they have to work in an office in the city…"

They heard a growl that sounded as if it was right by the phone and then a dull smack followed by what sounded like shelves crashing. The line went dead after that and for a moment neither of them moved. Sam watched as Dean's hand clenched around the phone so hard the screen began to splinter. Sam tried to keep his voice even as he said what he feared the most, "Dean that message was two days ago, by now she might not be…"

"Son of a bitch!" Dean shouted as he threw the phone into the phone into the trunk of the Impala. It shattered on impact. "We are getting her back, Sammy. No other options." Sam nodded, quickly following Dean to the front of the car, resolution steeling him for the ten hour drive that might end in tragedy.


	3. Hero

Supernatural

Oklahoma Girl

AN: I don't own anything but my original character! The quote at the end of the chapter is by Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation Season 3 Episode 6: Indianapolis: All the Bacon and Eggs. Hope you guys continue to enjoy! Thank you so much to everyone currently reading and a special thank you to my reviewers! I appreciate you taking the time to let me know what you think!

"It's just another war  
Just another family torn  
(Falling from my faith today)  
Just a step from the edge  
Just another day in the world we live

I need a hero to save me now  
I need a hero (save me now)  
I need a hero to save my life  
A hero'll save me (just in time)" Hero by Skillet

/

Dean drove straight through the night, stopping for nothing. Sam knew his brother well enough that he knew talking to Dean right now was a bad idea. Nothing he said would make it better, this situation was fucked up. Sam ran through the scenarios and possibilities of what they were running into and only one left Ellie alive. If this was a trap set for him and Dean, then she might have been taken alive to draw them in, otherwise she was either already dead, or turned.

They reached her house just as the sun rose, proving just how fast Dean had driven. No police cars and no tape across the doorway said that the authorities hadn't been notified yet which made their own investigation less complicated.

The disaster they walked in to had them both cursing. "Son of a bitch," Dean said as he took in the shattered door scattered across the entrance way, the broken lamps, overturned bookshelves, claw marks in the couch and the blood spatter that seemed to be everywhere. As Dean walked in to the living room, Sam stopped to examine the entrance way closely. There was a small puddle of blood more concentrated than the rest, with a drag mark that faded away leading toward the broken back door.

Dean picked up an empty shell casing, "I should have left her silver bullets. She's a hell of a shot and she'd still…" Dean tapered off, throwing the shell casing hard across the room, watching it bounce and spin across the wreckage, as useless now as it had been when it was fired. Sam ignored Dean's outburst, knowing that he wasn't looking for a response to his self-recrimination. Instead, Sam stood up from the blood and began following the drag mark, "Dean, there's a blood trail leading out back."

Dean joined him at what remained of the back door. Left at eye level, pinned to the door frame was a note with an address. Dean jerked the note down, reading it out loud, "Eye for an Eye, Winchesters." Sam wanted to close his eyes in relief, she was alive, but the old, familiar feeling of people around them being hurt trumped any happiness he might have felt. The look on Dean's face said he was thinking the same thing.

Now knowing where they needed to go, they headed back to the Impala before anyone grew suspicious of them being there. They had been doing this so long, Sam knew Dean wouldn't want to slow down, now that they had an address, so he pulled up as much information as he could about the place on his phone.

The place was two hours west, down an old county road that had very few houses around. As Sam researched the area, strange disappearances began popping up and he realized why they hadn't discovered the pack. They never left their victims to be discovered, or if they did, they took more than just the heart. Flipping back to the map of the house and the land surrounding, he said, "There's only one road in and out. Looks about a quarter mile from the county road to the house. Quite a bit of tree coverage. From the reports of missing persons in the area, I think there may be about five in the pack."

Sam waited for Dean to respond and looked up at him when he didn't. Dean was white knuckling the steering wheel and when Sam leaned over the speedometer showed an even one hundred. "Dean, we've got to go about this with some caution. We're walking right in to a trap. If we don't make a plan, she's not getting out of there alive," Sam said.

"Don't say that, Sam," Dean growled, but he slowed the car a bit and inhaled. "Tell me what the layout looks like again."

/

When they arrived at the road to the house it was barely noon. They geared up from the trunk, then sat and waited, although it killed Dean to do so. Every instinct he had wanted to run in, guns blazing, and get Ellie out of there as fast as he could, but his training and life long experience, told him Sam was right. They had a plan and now they needed to watch and wait for the right moment.

As they drove, he had used every curse he knew on himself for letting this happen. Not just leaving Ellie vulnerable or not discovering the pack, but for letting himself care. She had gotten under his skin in such a short amount of time and Dean knew that was a death sentence. No one he cared about survived for long.

He hadn't even realized she had gotten so close. Sure, he had joked to himself about being in love with her at the bookstore and had realized the potential danger on the couch the next morning, but he had thought he had severed the connection early enough to prevent this exact scenario.

As they sat on the county road, no one passed them all afternoon and the lack of activity made him antsy. As the sun began to set, they finally made their move. The walk up the tree-covered driveway seemed to take forever until they abruptly came to the edge of the tree line.

An open yard went all the way around and so they skirted the edge. Circling the Victorian two-story house, they could see lights on and people moving inside. Their advantage was that despite being invited, the pack had no idea when he and Sam would actually show. It was clear from their lack of sentries that they had already relaxed their guard.

Dean watched the movements of some of the pack through the windows and could distinguish three people. Sam had said possibly five, but he didn't see any others. As they circled to the front of the house, he saw the other two emerge from what looked like a basement door in the kitchen. Most of the wolves had moved to the front of the house so with the element of surprise, they busted through the front door.

They took two down immediately, silver bullets carving a hole in to the hearts of the werewolves. The other two disappeared and as he and Sam moved deeper in to the house, one came flying out from Dean's left, slamming into him and pushing him in to Sam. As Dean held off the fangs from tearing into his neck, Sam rolled to his feet, quickly shooting the werewolf.

The fourth appeared just behind Sam and Dean didn't hesitate in his shot. The werewolf dropped dead just behind Sam. Sam nodded, "I'll take upstairs." Without waiting for Dean's reply, he took the stairs to his left. Dean got to his feet and slowly made his way towards the kitchen and the basement.

They still hadn't found the fifth werewolf he had seen, so he took the corner into the kitchen carefully until he heard Ellie cry out, along with something striking the basement stairs. He had the door flung open and was half-way down the staircase when he saw the werewolf crouched over her limp form in the dark.

/

Ellie had no idea how long she'd been tied to the chair in the basement. There were no windows and the men only came down to give her water and to let her up long enough to go to the bathroom. She supposed she should be grateful for small mercies, but every time she surfaced from passing out, the splitting pain in her head, ribs and shoulder reminded her that this probably wasn't going to end well. One of the books Sam had sent her had been on werewolves and from what she had read, the three holding her hostage were purebloods which meant they could change in to werewolves at will. She also knew that with one bite she would become one, something she wanted to avoid at all cost.

She hadn't a clue why they hadn't killed her or why their attack at her house had seemed planned. In her bursts of lucidity, she reasoned that they must know she was involved with killing the youngest member of their pack. She had figured that much out as she listened to them talk about what happened, when she had been tied in the backseat on the ride to wherever she was now. Any advice she had on kidnapping centered on her research for her novels, but try as she might, it was impossible to keep track of turns and distances when your brain felt like scrambled eggs. If she made it out of this alive she was going to have to rewrite her entire series, because it was in fact, crap.

Besides trying to figure out a way to get herself out of her current situation, she also thought about Sam and Dean. She felt an almost overwhelming sadness knowing that they were never going to forgive themselves for this. Just knowing them the short twenty-four hours she had, she knew that they took saving people seriously and that the ones they hadn't, they carried with them always.

She wanted to tell them she didn't blame them for this. She knew they had done their best, but sometimes things just didn't work out like you planned. Although, right now she was desperately wishing they did. Knowing she was her own hope for getting out she began to think of her options. Trying to escape when they let her up to use the bathroom would be the simplest since she wouldn't have to figure out how to untie herself, but she didn't think that would work since one stood guard at the top of the stairs while the other untied and supervised her.

Knowing surprise would only be to her benefit, she began thinking of ways to untie herself. She tested the knots at her wrists and knew there was no way she would be able to loosen them. Trying to think outside the box, her mind came up with breaking the chair she was sitting on. At first, she dismissed the idea as too cliché, but as time passed, and nothing else presented itself, she began to think about how she could do it.

Luckily, the chair they had used to tie her on had most likely been sitting in the damp basement for ages and had begun to rot. It was solid enough that it was holding her, but if she rocked back and forth the legs wiggled considerably as did the back where she was tied. Another stroke of luck was that her legs weren't tied so she could stand up with the chair attached.

Unfortunately, that's where her luck ran out as her hands were tied so far behind her that she knew if she slammed down on the back of the chair, she was likely to break her hands. Without the use of her hands she wouldn't be able to fight her way out so she took time to consider the pros and cons. It didn't take her long to decide that she had to risk it. So, after they let her up for her next bathroom break and then left her alone once again she began her half-cocked plan.

Since she was right handed, she tried to lean farther left so that if she did break a hand, it wouldn't be her dominate one, not to mention her left shoulder had been knocked out of socket when they tackled her at her house. They had put it back in, but not gently.

She stood up and paused for a moment to send a silent prayer that this worked then she slammed herself backwards as hard as she could. The impact on the floor momentarily knocked the breath out of her and she felt some of the bones in her left-hand crack. The pain made her dizzy and if she would have had anything in her stomach it would have left. Knowing she probably didn't have long, she shoved the pain aside and rolled to her knees to sit up.

The chair had done what it was supposed to, and lay shattered underneath her. Her hands slid free and she was able to bring them around slowly. Her left hand was red and already beginning to swell a little so she grabbed a jagged spindle from the wreckage with her right just as she heard hurried footsteps above. Moving as quickly as she could, Ellie moved to the deeper shadows under the staircase. She knew she was going to have one shot at getting up the stairs and she prayed she made it. She didn't hold out much hope that she'd survive if she didn't.

She made her move as soon as he was in reach. Launching up from her crouched position, she let her full body weight carry her forward, slamming into him from behind and driving the make-shift stake up under his ribs.

She felt the man convulse under her as he screamed in pain. She didn't waste a second as she threw herself off him and turned for the stairs, but she never made it. The werewolf recovered quicker than she had hoped and he turned, lashing out at her feet as she lunged for the step. His claws caught her in the left calf, knocking her feet out from under her so that she slammed in to the steps with her chest, her chin clipping one, sending her into a daze.

She lay on her back, blood pouring down her chin and ankle, as the werewolf reared up over her, his teeth bared in a snarl. Ellie heard footsteps at the entrance of the basement and knew her bid for freedom was over since the others were coming to help their friend. When she heard a gunshot, Ellie thought her ears must be playing tricks on her, because why would they use guns, but then the werewolf above her sported a bullet size hole in his chest right at his heart. He made clutching motions at his chest as he stumbled forward and Ellie feared he was going to collapse on top of her when a hand reached out from above her, shoving the dead werewolf away.

The next thing she knew, the most beautiful face in the world was crowding her vision. "Dean," she breathed out in relief, "At the risk of sounding like a broken record, I can't tell you how glad I am to see you." Dean smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes, "Me too, sweetheart." He reached around her to lift her up, "Now, let's get you out of here." Her sharp intake of breath had him freezing in place, "How bad is it?"

Ellie grimaced, answering, "Bad. I think I've got several broken ribs. As much as I would enjoy you carrying me out of here like a real-life knight in shining armor, I don't think my ribs will allow it. Help me stand up and I'll shuffle along as best I can." She watched Dean clinch his jaw and jerk his head in acknowledgement. She could tell he was angry, but she couldn't figure out why as she extended her right hand out to him.

When he pulled her up gently, she went to put her weight on her left foot and all but collapsed as fire streaked up her leg. Dean kept her upright with her right arm and after the ringing in her ears subsided she smirked at him through the pain, "That was a little more tender than I thought." She heard him curse low under his breath and she tried to lighten the mood, "It's just blood and bone Dean, it'll heal. Good news is no bites, I swear."

He didn't even look at her and Ellie realized that even though she was alive, Dean wasn't going to let this go. They made it to the top of the stairs where they met Sam coming in from outside. He froze as he saw her and it made her chuckle despite the pain, "Damn, I must look like the roadkill I feel like. Dean won't even look at me." His grip on her arm tightened, but it was Sam that said, "I'm so glad to see you I don't think your looks matter." He was in front of her, gently giving her a hug before she could blink and that simple gesture was her undoing. Tears began to leak out of her eyes despite her attempt to hold them back.

She sniffled and attempted a laugh as she pulled back, "Sorry, I'm a little emotional. No sleep for a couple of days, you know." Neither of them laughed and she felt the need to clear the air, "This wasn't your fault guys. I know you did your best." Apparently, that wasn't the right thing to say because Dean's grip on her tightened further and Sam clinched his jaw, saying, "Not good enough." Before she could say anything else, Dean nudged her forward, "Come on, let's get you out of here." Sam jogged ahead of them saying, "I'll bring the car up."

The walk in the dark to the car was silent and it took far longer than Ellie thought possible. When Sam parked the car in front of them, he got out and headed back to the house, leaving her alone with Dean once more. Dean opened the back door, but Ellie stood still until he looked at her. "Dean," she started, but he shook his head. "Don't. Just don't Ellie. Nothing you say is going to change the way I feel about what happened." She took a shuddery breath and nodded. Climbing in to the back seat was painful, but she managed. Once she was settled, Dean set about cleaning the open wound on her leg and chin without saying a word. He worked efficiently, touching her as little as possible, but Ellie still felt every one like a brand. When he had her bandaged up, he said, "I'm going to go help Sam. There's water in the floorboard. It shouldn't take us long."

He didn't wait for her to reply, just shut the door and walked back towards the house. Ellie felt terrible, she had wanted to see them again, but not like this. Finding the water, she drained one bottle then opened a second. As she sat in the backseat, she realized the shorts and shirt she had been wearing when she was taken were in rough shape. Seeing one of the guys' plaids on the floor she scooped it up and put it over her good right shoulder then draped it over the injured left. The scent that enveloped her told her it was Dean's and she couldn't help but curl her fingers into it, bringing is closer. She didn't know how long the guys were gone, but before she knew it, she was laying on her right side in a deep sleep.

/

They had cleaned up the house making sure nothing was left of the pack. While inside they had argued about what to do about Eleanor. "Dean, she's going to be pissed if you just drop her off at a hospital. Not to mention there will be a million questions about her injuries that she can't answer," Sam said as he dragged a body out of the house. Dean stayed tight lipped on the matter. In his head, he had already decided. She needed them out of her life for good if she hoped to survive. Dean wasn't going to give her the choice.

Once outside they lit the fire under the stack of bodies and stayed to make sure it didn't get out of control. The fire didn't last long and they soon headed back to the car. As Dean opened the driver's door he looked in the backseat and lost his determination to drop her off and never look back. Head resting on her good arm, she was curled up in the shirt he had taken off earlier in the afternoon heat.

Getting in, he saw Sam look in the back as well, but refused to make eye contact with him. When they pulled out of the driveway, Dean took the road leading towards I-35 instead of back to Owasso and Sam marveled at the ease of Dean changing his mind with just a look at her. Sam really hadn't wanted to leave Ellie to answer questions on her own. At some point, someone was going to report her home being broken in to and then with her injuries, she'd never be able to explain it to the police without suspicions.

Two hours in to the drive, Ellie woke up with a groan, "Where are we?" Sam answered as she sat up in the middle of the backseat, "Just outside Salina, Kansas." He saw confusion on her face as she asked, "Salina?" Sam smiled, "Yeah. You're coming home with us." He continued to explain, "Your house is wrecked and with your injuries, you'd never convince the police it was a home invasion." She seemed to accept that, but seemed really disappointed about her house, "My house is really wrecked?" At Sam's nod, she swore, "Damn, I just finished it six months ago." Sam turned in the seat to look at her, "Your first thought is about your house?" Ellie's eyebrows scrunched together and then she winced as the skin pulled on her injured one and she replied, "Hell yeah. I mean, I knew the bookshelves would be rubble considering I landed in a couple before I blacked out, but wrecked…" She trailed off as she saw the look on Sam's face, "What?"

Sam risked a look at Dean before he asked, "Ellie, what happened?"

Ellie tried to take a deep breath, but winced at the pain, "Well, I was leaving a voicemail for Dean when they broke in. I don't remember when I dropped my phone, but it must have been when the first one hit me, sending me over the back of the couch into the bookshelf on the back wall. My ribs hurt then, but I tried to make a run for the front door. One of them tackled me from behind and we went over the shorter bookshelf by the door. My head must have hit the floor because I don't remember anything until I woke up in the back seat of a truck. They were talking about the one that Dean killed in the alley." She paused here and leaned forward towards Sam, "By the way, you know how I used that, count your turns and measure the distance by counting thing, in my third book? Complete trash. Or at least with a concussion it is. My head hurt so bad I thought it might come off my shoulders. I wish I could make corrections to already published work."

Sam wanted to laugh at the absurd comment, but he really wished she'd stop giving them so much detail. He could see that Dean was tensing up with each description. "Anyway, once we got to the house, they took me straight to the basement. After they shoved my shoulder back in place they tied me to a chair," she stopped as Sam asked, "Your shoulder?"

"Yeah my left shoulder must have popped out of the socket when I was tackled. They shoved it back in so they could get my hands behind me on the chair. Or at least I think so. I passed out when they put it back in and I woke up bound to the chair. After that, they came down long enough to give me water and let me up for a minute. After a while I figured I may as well try to get myself out before they decided to stop being gracious hosts. The chair I was tied to was old and worn and they had left my feet untied, so I decided to stand up and then smash it against the floor. To my surprise, it worked, but I broke my left hand in the process," at this, she looked down at her hand still swollen and now bruising.

"I'm not going to be able to type for weeks. Crap. My editor is gonna be pissed." Shaking her head, she looked back up at Sam avoiding Dean's eyes in the rear view mirror, "I grabbed one of the broken spindles and hid under the staircase. When one of them came down to see about the noise I jumped out, on to his back, knocking him to the ground and jabbed the stake under his ribs." Sam nodded at this point, "I was wondering why that was there." Ellie grinned, her face making more of a grimace as the split in her upper lip pulled, "It wasn't a very well thought plan, but I had hoped to buy enough time to get upstairs. It didn't work. He wolfed out just as I reached the stairs and knocked my feet out from under me. That's when Dean…" she trailed off as she locked eyes with him in the mirror. Dean moved his eyes back to the road and the moment passed. Ellie shrugged to herself, not knowing what to say. They were just entering Salina when she whispered, "I know I wouldn't have made it out of that basement without you guys."

Dean jerked the wheel hard to the right slamming to a stop in a parking lot. Sam knew it was worse than he thought when Dean slammed the door as he stalked away from them. As they sat in silence, watching Dean storm away, Ellie thought about how, in the basement, she had thought they would take her death. "I know it's been hard on you both when you lose someone, but you take things like this just as hard, don't you," she asked the back of Sam's head. He didn't turn around as she watched him swallow hard and nod. After a moment Sam said, "I'll go get him," but Ellie put her hand on his shoulder, "Let me, Sam." As she slid to the passenger side, she said, "Sam, I'm still glad I met you. I wouldn't go back for anything."

She closed the door behind her before he could reply. She walked as fast as her leg would let her, but it still took a minute to get to where Dean was pacing beneath a street light. She didn't say anything as she approached, just let him pace until he finally stopped and looked at her. She could see him taking in her injuries in the harsh light and she thanked the Lord that she had on his flannel to cover the bruising she knew was on her ribs.

When Dean didn't speak, she took the opportunity, "I'm right here Dean. A little bruised, but I'm here." Dean closed his eyes as he said, "Another minute and the results would have been different." Ellie walked up to him, placing a hand on his arm, "There was no extra minute. You got there. And you saved me. That's twice I owe you now in less than a month." Dean went to step back as he said, "You don't get it…" but Ellie held on to his arm and stepped closer. "Yes, I do. You think you failed. You think that by not be omniscient you put me in danger. But you're wrong. Nothing could have stopped what happened. If I hadn't met you that first night, I'd already be dead and we wouldn't be having this conversation."

As Dean stared down in to her face trying to accept her words she added, "Now, if for some reason, you think you still owe me, I'll give you a way to make us even." When Dean raised an eyebrow, she smiled, "Hold me for a minute, then help me to the car." Dean pulled her in to his body gently and she felt him relax against her as she wrapped her arms around his waist and laid her head on his chest. She heard him whisper in to her hair, "I think I can do that." Into his chest she said, "Good." Then she pulled back and said, "Cause then I'm gonna need you to go in to the diner behind you and get me all the bacon and eggs they have." When he raised both eyebrows at her and began to smirk she kept going with the quote, "Wait. Wait…I'm worried what you just heard was give me a lot of bacon and eggs. What I said was give me ALL the bacon and eggs you have." Together they finished the last line, "Do you understand?"

Sam watched in amazement as Ellie talked Dean down from the mental ledge he was walking and then in less than five minutes had him laughing. As they made their way back to the car, he thought that maybe having Ellie at the bunker would be more helpful to Dean than herself.


End file.
